The Bergen Community College Newsletter 2015, 2016 & 2017 NCMPR Medallion Winner
CONNECT. NJ’s most social community college. 20,000+ followers. Join the conversation. | Spring 2019 • Volume 6, Issue 2
Student Named No. 1 in New Jersey E
arning a 4.0 GPA, creating prosthetic hands via 3D printing and becoming the international president of Phi Theta Kappa may have given student Elda Pere a leg up on her competition for the New Jersey Community College Student of the Year award. Developing her own field of mathematics probably clinched it. As part of the Vision 2028 Leadership Summit, the New Jersey Council of County Colleges presented the award to Pere in recognition of her achievements and contributions to the community. Pere’s math – “Trigonacci” – represents the marriage of trigonometry and Fibonacci spirals, a concept she developed during a
summer research internship with the STEM Student Scholars Program, an honor society for STEM majors at Bergen. Her other achievements include being selected as a 2017 Coca-Cola Leader of Promise and a 2018 Achieving the Dream Scholar. She is also a recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship, a highly selective scholarship for the nation’s top community college students seeking to complete their bachelor’s degrees at four-year colleges or universities. The New Jersey Council of County Colleges is the state association representing
New Jersey’s 19 community colleges. As an independent, trustee-headed organization that joins the leadership of trustees and presidents, the Council is a resource that strengthens and supports the state’s 19 community colleges. n
Welcoming New Leaders
education and healthcare, serving as the corporate chief development officer for the Robert Wood Johnson University Health System and the assistant dean of advancement and external relations for Rutgers University. He graduated from Utica College (B.S.), Syracuse University (M.B.A.) and Rutgers (Ph.D.) and completed post-doctoral studies at Harvard University. “Stepping into an established leader in community college education such as Bergen represents a source of pride,” Dr. Agnew said. “I look forward to charting a course for the institution that builds on its existing 50-plus years of success stories and strengthens its foundation of excellence.” Meanwhile, Miller, a seasoned fundraising executive, has secured millions of dollars in support for arts organizations such as the New York Restoration Project, where he served as chief development officer, and the
Phoenix Art Museum, where he served as deputy director and chief development officer. Prior to those appointments, Miller led his alma mater’s nonprofit (the Eastern Michigan University Foundation) as executive director, setting university fundraising records and increasing annual giving by 88 percent. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the institution, majoring in management and marketing. “The Bergen Community College Foundation brings hope for students,” Miller said. “Given the financial challenges faced by community college students, I am excited to begin developing fundraising strategies that can literally make dreams possible for Bergen’s most vulnerable young men and women.” The pair began in January. n
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enior higher education leaders Dr. Brian D. Agnew and Ronald Miller recently joined Bergen as executive vice president and executive director of the Bergen Community College Foundation, contributing to an executive team charged with top-level leadership and direction for all institutional areas. As executive vice president, Dr. Agnew leads personnel, strategic planning and organizational development initiatives and oversees departments such as human resources, institutional research and grants administration. Dr. Agnew previously worked throughout higher
More than 300 students enrolled this spring tuition-free under the Community College Opportunity Grant!
Campus Calendar Cyrano De Bergerac March 1 (7:30 p.m.) and March 2 (2 and 7:30 p.m.) Ender Hall Lab Threatre Tickets.bergen.edu Lines of Fire/Lines of Ice Through March 30 Mon.-Fri. (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) Gallery Bergen Treble Girls: A Celebration of Rebel Women Who Changed Music March 7, 7:30 p.m. Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Tickets.bergen.edu Noises Off April 5, 6, 11, 12, 13 (7:30 p.m.) and April 6, 13 (2 p.m.) Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Tickets.bergen.edu Bill Evans: Time Remembered April 25, 7 p.m. Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Tickets.bergen.edu Garry Krinsky: Toys with Science April 27, 11 a.m. Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Tickets.bergen.edu Just a Jersey Guy and Son May 3, 7:30 p.m. Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Tickets.bergen.edu Chuck Wicks Brew and BBQ May 18, 5 p.m. Anna Maria Ciccone Theatre Tickets.bergen.edu
ergen faculty and staff took home some hardware this spring, winning awards through the institution and the League for Innovation in the Community College. Selected from an institutionrecord 15 nominations, Professor Kelly Keane, associate professor and faculty liaison to the writing center, and John Findura, writing center supervisor, have received the Innovation of the Year Award for their college transfer essay program that has provided no-cost assistance for students navigating the writing process for transferring into four-year institutions. Launched in November 2017, Keane, Findura and a team of tutors have held 12 workshops, assisting more than 120 students. Students have earned acceptance into Columbia University, New York University and Rutgers University, among others. “We found a project that works and we are getting results,” Findura said. “We want this program to be the fabric of the College.” Meanwhile, Professor Ellen Feig received the John and Suanne Roueche Excellence Award from the League for Innovation in the Community College for her work in creating and implementing the TEDx program. TEDx events provide communities, organizations and individuals the opportunity to stimulate dialogue through guest speakers. Bergen was the first community college in the country to earn a TEDx license in 2014. “Other colleges throughout the country have used our template to start their own TEDx program, which is its own reward,” Feig said. “In addition, there have been nearly two million views of our events on the TEDx YouTube channel.” n
P May 20 - June 27 May 20 - August 8 July 1 - August 8 August 5 - August 22
Register at www.bergen.edu
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Campus Tobacco Use Goes Up in Smoke
Commencement 2019 May 23, 10 a.m. MetLife Stadium
Summer I: Summer U: Summer II: Summer III:
FACULTY FOCUS
ut that out! Bergen recently received a $12,000 grant from the CVS Health Foundation and the American Cancer Society to develop campaigns targeting the elimination of smoking and tobacco use on- and off-campus. Although the College banned smoking on campus in 2007, the rise of e-cigarettes and other tobacco-delivery devices have prompted institutions to create new efforts for helping students understand the dangers of smoking, tobacco and nicotine. Under its new “Breathe Clear Campus” initiative, the College will become
Inside Bergen • The Bergen Community College Newsletter |
Breathe Clear Campus smoke- and tobacco-free by June 2020. Including another $3,600 grant from the New Jersey Prevention Network, the College has received $15,600 to support the program. n
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1. Professor Dr. Kil Yi leads a lecture for members of the Korean community as part of a new partnership with the Korean Community Center.
4. Nature, human nature and global warming represent the central themes of Gallery Bergen’s “Lines of Fire/Lines of Ice” exhibition, which opened in January.
2. Executive Vice President Dr. Brian Agnew, Bergen County Executive Jim Tedesco and Department of Labor and Workforce Development Commissioner Robert Asaro-Angelo attended a job fair, which took place at the College Feb. 8, for workers displaced by the Marcal Paper Mills fire.
5. For the fourth consecutive year, the College and its Office of Public Relations, Community and Cultural Affairs earned recognition from the National Council on Marketing and Public Relations for exemplary communication campaigns, winning three awards.
8 6.Student-athletes scored a victory for children in need, donating 75 toys to area hospitals and nonprofit organizations through the Fair Lawn Police Department’s annual giving campaign. 7. Nearly 125 students received $101,000 in scholarships from the Bergen Community College Foundation this winter. 8. Aspiring dental hygienists such as Chaya Abraham “gave kids a smile” at the annual event.
3. Bergen celebrated Black History Month with a variety of educational experiences in February.
Inside Bergen • The Bergen Community College Newsletter |
Spring 2019
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$100k Humanities Grant Supports Veterans
T Jincheol Jeong, Jennifer Park, Yusuf Bugra Cubuk, Rabia Hafsa Oksuz and Youssef Haboulah guided the math club to a 21st place finish out of 155 colleges in the national Student Mathematics League Math Competition, which took place at the College. … Music professor Dan Sheehan released his fifth album, “Tales from Earth Incorporated,” to raise awareness about global economic injustice and greed. … A three-event series on the Holocaust featured art, films and discussions took place during January and February. … The College has partnered with the Association of College and University Educators to offer faculty a 25-module course on topics such as class design, assessment and promoting student learning. Faculty who complete the course will receive a nationally-recognized certificate in effective college instruction endorsed by the American Council on Education. … Study abroad students this semester: Erin Moran, University of New York (Czech Republic); Rita Shapiro, Lorenzo de’ Medici’s (Italy); and Cristina Alvarez, International College/ Universidad de Sevilla (Spain).
That’s a Hike!
he Center for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation and the Veterans and Military Affairs Center received a $100,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in support of a new program for military veterans and their families. The program, “No Man’s Land: Dialogues on the Experience of War,” will give student veterans and non-veterans the opportunity to reflect on war and military service through a series of discussions and activities. The grant will help expand the institution’s outreach to its student veterans and the community at-large, according to the interdisciplinary project’s co-directors Thomas LaPointe, associate professor of composition and literature, and John Giaimo, associate professor and licensed professional counselor. The series will explore the intersections of World War I and the ongoing wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, using humanities resources such as poetry, short stories and excerpts from novels and memoirs, in combination with works of visual art, installation and film. There are approximately 130 self-identified student veterans enrolled at Bergen and more than 31,000 veterans who live in Bergen County, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In 2013, the College opened its Veterans and Military Affairs Center at the main campus. Through the center, the College offers veteran-specific counselors and advisers, and information on benefits, events and resources to ensure their success in the classroom and after graduation. n
SGA Soup Drives Away Hunger
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he student government association used soup to bring warmth to the winter season for those in need. During the week of “Giving Tuesday,” the group sponsored a soup drive supported by students, faculty and staff that ultimately delivered 163 cans to the Center for Food Action pantry at the College. Temple University and Wisconsin Hope Lab researchers estimate 42 percent of community college students face hunger or “food insecurity,” defined as lacking reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food. n
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t’s estimated that fewer than 1,000 men and women from around the world successfully “thru-hike” the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail each year. Alumnus Michael Hesleitner (’09) recently climbed his way onto the list. n InsideBergen is a publication of the Office of Public Relations. Send feedback to lhlavenka@bergen.edu.